Cyber Security in a Complex Community: A Social Media Analysis on Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures

Social media platforms such as Twitter, Github, and Reddit are widely used forums for discussing all aspects of computer security. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) are a frequent recurring topic given their potential for malicious exploitation. We want to understand more about the discussions that are taking place on these platforms and how they may influence a vulnerability's lifespan and “exploitability”. We will do this by analyzing conversations on these platforms that reference a CVE identification number in both content, lifespan, and spread. We found that Twitter is the most common platform for discussion followed by Github. Github discussions indicate the attack vector of a CVE if exploited while Twitter indicates the impact of exploited CVEs. Our findings conclude that by tracking social media outlets, security vendors can identify CVEs with a high probability of malicious exploitation and proactively generate protection.